Water treatment plants can’t remove all prescription medications from wastewater, so it’s important to dispose of unused medication properly. To help residents do just that, the City of Golden Valley will host a prescription Drug Take-Back Day, Oct 28, from 10 am to 2 pm, at the Public Safety Building lobby, 7700 Golden Valley Rd.

While Golden Valley’s drug take-back box is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, more staff will be on hand to help out and answer questions during the Oct 28 event.

The event is part of a national campaign sponsored by the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration. The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe and convenient way to dispose of prescription drugs while also educating the public about the potential for abuse of medications.

Disposing medications in the drop box cuts down on the chance of it falling into the wrong hands, and it’s also better for the environment, says Sgt Jeff Johnson. Once the medications are in the drop box, registered police officers carefully remove the substances and follow a standard procedure for bundling the contents and delivering to the proper officials with Hennepin County. After collecting the medicines, sheriff’s deputies transport them to an incinerator where they are destroyed.

Golden Valley’s drug take-back box was installed in June 2016. People drop off about eight to 10 pounds of prescription medication a day, Johnson says. In the second half of 2016, the Police Department disposed of roughly 1,000 pounds of prescription drugs that might have otherwise wound up in the water system or fallen into the wrong hands.

Medicines accepted in the take-back box include prescription medicines, controlled substances, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements, and pet medicines, but no syringes, sharps, or other medical waste.